Strawberry Bread

Kids in the Kitchen is back! All this month, in my Tuesday Mini-Series, I will be sharing ideas, recipes, and tips for getting your kids more involved in the kitchen! I absolutely love to cook and bake, and it’s so fun to see that love of being in the kitchen rub off on Becca! She is really starting to ask more and more to help and be involved in the inner workings of what goes on in the kitchen.

Today, I’ll be sharing one of my favorite recipes with you – and I’d love to encourage you. I know that it’s SO SO hard to be patient enough to bring your preschooler into the kitchen and allow him or her to help. Boy, do I ever know how hard that is. I am learning daily how little patience I have. But, I’m also learning how to best communicate my frustrations to Becca, and we’re learning together how to work together and co-exist in a meaningful way. So – don’t hesitate to CARVE OUT TIME to make that special item TOGETHER instead of just whipping it up yourself. And this recipe today is one that they’ll be so proud they helped with!

I found the recipe originally from Jam Hands, as a pin on Pinterest.
If you want to try any of the fabulous Pinterest recipes I’ve tried, you can check them out here:

I’ve made it several times, but never allowed Becca to help. She was in a huge strawberry eating phase (which has now passed by the time I’m typing this post… by the time it actually posts on the blog next week, she may be back in it… fickle!), so I decided I’d let her help. I’m so glad I did! We had so much fun!

She enjoyed helping me cut the tops off of the strawberries, which is something I would NOT have let her do if she didn’t have this “My Safe Cutter” (from Pampered Chef – not an affiliate link, but this is the website of a dear friend, and she would certainly appreciate your order.) With it, she is able to begin the fine motor practice of how to hold a knife, and can use it to saw small fruits and veggies into pieces. For a child who struggles with many fine motor skills, it’s the perfect tool to allow her to SAFELY help, and to get that fine motor practice she needs. If you are looking to get your preschooler involved in the kitchen, no matter their level of fine motor abilities, I highly suggest this $4.75 purchase!!!

Then, after we got the strawberries cut, I would measure the ingredients and she would pour them into the bowl. She’s learning how to use her “strong hand” to pour, and her “helper hand” to steady the cup she’s pouring from. (Looking for ideas to help your lefty? Check out this post I did on Supporting your Lefty.) She has also learned how to keep her hands back from the mixer as it processes so that she doesn’t get hurt. She loves watching the mixer, and is doing a really great job of hanging onto her Kitchen Helper (aff link, thank you!) to keep her hands busy so she doesn’t forget and reach into the bowl. (Please note – Cody custom built our Kitchen Helper, but the link here is to one that is somewhat similar if you are interested in simply purchasing one instead of building your own. 🙂

Here’s the recipe as we made it (I have also made it with half strawberries and half blueberries, and it’s excellent that way.):

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in another bowl.
5. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet.
6. Mix 1/2 of the sour cream into the wet ingredients.
7. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet.
8. Mix the remaining sour cream into the wet ingredients.
9. Mix the remaining dry ingredients into the wet.
10. Mix in the strawberries.
11. Pour the batter into a greased pans (I use mini loaf pans to make four loaves – you could make one large loaf in a 9×5 if you wanted).
12. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown and a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes for a 9×5, or check around 40 mins for four mini loaves.